9 ms·

As far as I know, it is common in Europe to only overtake on the outer lanes. In the US however, there are no such rules. It does seem like a good idea to me.

by fatuna 10y ago

splike 10y ago
The law exists in the US, but nobody bothers to follow it from my experience driving there. People just seem to use the other lanes as more road.
- nrjdhsbsid 10y ago
  It's pretty well followed on the highway in low traffic conditions. Trucks and such will stay right. During heavy traffic nobody gives a flying fuck though, and I've never heard of the law being enforced once if it wasn't a charge being tacked onto something else like reckless driving
  - 6DM 10y ago
    On top of that, there will always be "sections" of the road where traffic reliably grinds to a halt. So people keep switching back and forth to avoid those areas.
- seanmcdirmid 10y ago
  The US does not have one set of traffic laws for all states.
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    Most states follow the Uniform Vehicle Code on this issue http://jalopnik.com/5501615/left-lane-passing-laws-a-state-by-state-map http://jalopnik.com/5501615/left-lane-passing-laws-a-state-b... (and among those that don't 1/2 of them still have laws about obstructing traffic)
    - dsp1234 10y ago
      The issue mentioned in your linked article is different from what's mentioned up thread. The article deals with "what is the role of the very left lane". Upthread it's about using non-outer lanes (inner lanes) as the passing lane, which implies passing on the right. The UVC specifically allows passing on the right on a paved road with 2, or more, lanes (see 11-304(a)(2))
      - maxerickson 10y ago
        jstanley at the top of the thread is clearly talking about the same thing as my article, keeping right except when passing. You should only go into the outer lanes to overtake traffic, and then move back in once you've passed. It's not just the law, it's a good idea... That's not about passing on the right.
        dsp1234 10y ago
        The outer lanes are the left and right lanes. Which implies that, given 3 lanes, someone is passing on the right. At a base level, given more than 2 lanes, there is a difference between "stay out of the left lane unless passing", and "stay out of the left and right lanes unless passing", as it gives drivers twice as many options for passing.
        maxerickson 10y ago
        Pretty sure that by inside lane they mean the main traffic lane. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/inside-lane http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/inside... (I made that assumption before noting the .uks in their profile...)
        jessaustin 10y ago
        I would have said that in USA the "outer lane" is the rightmost lane, since it's the one that forms the edge of the highway. Likewise, in UK it would be the leftmost lane. The inner lanes are the ones adjacent to the median in a divided highway. I think OP simply misspoke, because everyone knows one is supposed to pass using the inner lanes.
- virgil_disgr4ce 10y ago
  What I've never understood about this idea is that it suggests that speeding must not be illegal in that passing lane. But that's not true. So then how does a law for a passing lane work?
  - mulmen 10y ago
    I'm not sure where you get the suggestion that there is no speed limit in the passing lane. We drive on the right so the safest place to pass is on the left where the driver is. If everyone stays right as much as possible and faster traffic (this does not imply speeding) can move left to pass then traffic flows smoothly. Where are you getting the impression that speeding is allowed anywhere?
    - nkurz 10y ago
      > Where are you getting the impression that speeding is allowed anywhere? One reason is that in many places in the US, the normal traffic speed exceeds the legal posted limit by 5-15 miles per hour. If the law requires a driver travelling at the legal speed limit to stay out of the "passing lane" so that other drivers can pass, this would imply that the law condones speeding, since only a driver moving faster than the legal speed limit can make use of that lane. If the law was not intended to encourage exceeding the speed limit, it likely would have been written as something like "any driver moving less the legal speed limit must avoid the passing lane". Another reason is that some US states make exceptions to the normal speed limit when passing another vehicle on a two lane road: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2014/10/10/can-i-speed-while-passing/ http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2014/10/10/can-i-speed-..., http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/traffic_talk_comments_should_t_1.html http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/traffic_talk_com.... While one could argue that it's not "speeding" if it's not illegal, it's not unreasonable to interpret such laws as "allowing speeding" to pass.
      - mulmen 10y ago
        > If the law requires a driver travelling at the legal speed limit to stay out of the "passing lane" so that other drivers can pass, this would imply that the law condones speeding, since only a driver moving faster than the legal speed limit can make use of that lane. That's not how it works. The law is "stay right except to pass". This is true regardless of speed. Speeding is still illegal in any lane. The "stay right" rule is about not obstructing the flow of traffic, it has nothing to do with the posted speed limit. e: To clarify many people drive below the speed limit, in this case it is possible to pass them in a lane to the left without exceeding the speed limit.
kiril-me 10y ago
In Europe fast traffic go left. If some one slow way it always overtaken on free lane.
geocar 10y ago
It depends on the state. Some states do not permit undertaking. Others do.
treigerm 10y ago
Here's a nice video that explains the concept quite well I think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oqfodY2Lz0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oqfodY2Lz0 (Title: Why you shouldn't drive slowly in the left lane)
- aidos 10y ago
  There's an interesting British thing where lots of people are militant about lane positioning to the point of recklessness. I know otherwise down to earth people who absolutely loss it when there's someone in the middle lane on a motorway. I have friends who will pull close behind the offending vehicle, flash their lights, beep their horn and yell - which is obviously far more dangerous than the original offence. This is in cases where there's a totally empty "fast" lane further to the right. Many drivers almost feel entitled to not have someone in front of them in the middle lane. I get the argument for staying over to the left (in the UK). I'm not convinced that it's 100% rational though. Picture a normal scenario with 3 lanes and on/off ramps coming in from the left. With light traffic, all vehicles can keep to the left, over taking can happen in the middle lane and there's space for vehicles joining via the on-ramp. Fine. With really heavy traffic, you normally end up with 3 lanes of traffic moving at increasing speed to the right and all the lanes are utilised. Everyone seems happy. Fine. What happens with the murky space in between? If you try to stack everyone in the left lane they need to keep making space for people joining from the ramps. Also, some people will be moving faster than those in the far left, so they're effectively overtaking, but then where do you draw the line where they have to pull back to the left again (only to move out to overtake in another minute)? You could say that the moment there's any space to the left you move into it, but you just end up with lots more lane changes - which, at some point, becomes more dangerous than everyone just staying in the same lane. There's a balance to strike between changing to satisfy the rule and staying the course to decrease the amount of changing. For different people that line is in different places and for a lot of people I know who grew up in the UK, if they place your behaviour on the wrong side of that (arbitrary) line, there will be hell to pay. As a once foreigner it's all quite interesting.
  - stefs 10y ago
    observations from austria (remember we have the steering wheel on the right side ... so, the left). the law on the autobahn/multi-lane streets is: change to a lane on the left (a faster lane) only to overtake (except for special conditions, i.e. traffic jams/very slow moving). mostly south of vienna, the system is different though. due to the high amount of traffic from eastern neighboring states, with different rules and different speed limits (austrias autobahn speed limit is 130km/h, while in the east it's sometimes 120km/h, i'd guess), it's usually: * right lane (slowest): trucks and slow moving vehicles ~80-100km/h * middle lane: normal traffic, depending on weather ~110-120km/h (with sometimes up to 130-140km/h if traffic permits, usually not for long though) * left lane (fastest): traffic going faster (130km/h+) you choose the lane appropriate for your speed. overtaking strictly on the left. this is, strictly speaking, not legal. if the slower lane is free you have to change, even if you're going top speed. in the beginning i've been complaining about people not observing the local laws, but nowadays i have to admit that i think the eastern system works better.
nthcolumn 10y ago
Driving in the UK is sheer hell. Most people drive in the middle lane regardless of whether they are overtaking or not. Go to the continent and it is pure bliss by comparison. Brits even mistakenly call the outer lane the 'fast' lane. It is actually the serious offense of 'Driving Without Due Care And Attention' but UK transport police are worse than useless. On education - there is no test of motorway/highway skills for your driving license! Also, many UK people even deliberately obstruct other road users. The law states that you _can_ undertake. It is detailed in what is known as the Highway Code. Undertaking is allowed in a one-way system eg. motorway provided the vehicle to your right is not overtaking e.g. maintaining a constant speed sitting in the damn lane like they own it making everybody else do their driving. I'll go now before rant mode fully kicks in....
- popey456963 10y ago
  And yet the UK has the third lowest crash rate in the world compared with population and the second lowest crash compared per distance driven.[0] Also, your facts are wrong. You are required to practice on your highway skills and you will almost certainly go on a highway (if location permits) during your test. I'm almost happy we don't train our newer drivers on the motorway, honestly, I'm not sure I would trust them not to mess up even with an instructor joining them. We do have debates about whether to let newer drivers go on the motorway [1], but people bring up the point that they're normally incredibly busy and a single mistake could kill 5+ cars travelling at 70mph. Also, you say we can't call the outer lane the "fast" lane? It is fast when compared to the other lanes, but this doesn't mean we need to drive without care or attention! I think you don't understand that "fast" is a relative term and does not mean you can break the speed limit. A couple of other points: - You can't undertake normally, only in specific circumstances such as in queues or in separated traffic situations (like one-way traffic). You are NOT allowed to undertake on a motorway. - "Many UK people even deliberately obstruct other road users" has never happened to me in my life but, I've heard others talk about doing it to others when they're not being considerate to others (for example when two lanes go to one, and a car thinks they can speed down the fast lane to overtake everyone and just bully their way into the left lane). - "Pure bliss by comparison", really? Italy is notoriously bad at driving, Spain and other places also have similar problems with them. Generalising the entire continent to be perfect doesn't work. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-r... [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38464776 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38464776
NietTim 10y ago
But are there rules that disallow overtaking on the right?
- cgriswald 10y ago
  For most states, those rules generally don't apply when the passing is happening in a lane of travel. Instead, they refer to situations like using an exit-only lane to pass, trying to pass in a gap between parked cars, or passing on the shoulder.
- knicholes 10y ago
  In Utah, we can pass on the right as long as there are more than two lanes. If there are only two lanes, you are supposed to only pass on the left. As noted in other comments, this is state-based and I've never once seen it enforced.
- techdmn 10y ago
  Strangely more people seem to know about this than about only using the left lanes to pass. I have seen several people get worked up about being passed on the right, to which my response is "why were you driving on the left"? They don't realize that the slower vehicle chooses the overtaking lane - whichever lane they aren't occupying. In my opinion it's down to the signage: "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT". Nobody wants to think of themselves as slower. Should say "LEFT LANE FOR PASSING ONLY".
crispyambulance 10y ago
Looks like relatively normal behavior for a 7 lane road for either USA or Europe. Highways with THAT many lanes typically have exits on both the right and left side. People will typically be on whichever side their exit is going to be on.
- ygra 10y ago
  In Europe exits on the left of the motorway are quite rare (excluding countries that drive on the left).
btbuildem 10y ago
The law is the same in the US -- but, your comment is quite telling.

As far as I know, it is common in Europe to only overtake on the outer lanes. In the US however, there are no such rules. It does seem like a good idea to me.

by fatuna 10y ago

As far as I know, it is common in Europe to only overtake on the outer lanes. In the US however, there are no such rules. It does seem like a good idea to me.

splike 10y ago

The law exists in the US, but nobody bothers to follow it from my experience driving there. People just seem to use the other lanes as more road.

nrjdhsbsid 10y ago
It's pretty well followed on the highway in low traffic conditions. Trucks and such will stay right. During heavy traffic nobody gives a flying fuck though, and I've never heard of the law being enforced once if it wasn't a charge being tacked onto something else like reckless driving
- 6DM 10y ago
  On top of that, there will always be "sections" of the road where traffic reliably grinds to a halt. So people keep switching back and forth to avoid those areas.
seanmcdirmid 10y ago
The US does not have one set of traffic laws for all states.
- maxerickson 10y ago
  Most states follow the Uniform Vehicle Code on this issue http://jalopnik.com/5501615/left-lane-passing-laws-a-state-by-state-map http://jalopnik.com/5501615/left-lane-passing-laws-a-state-b... (and among those that don't 1/2 of them still have laws about obstructing traffic)
  - dsp1234 10y ago
    The issue mentioned in your linked article is different from what's mentioned up thread. The article deals with "what is the role of the very left lane". Upthread it's about using non-outer lanes (inner lanes) as the passing lane, which implies passing on the right. The UVC specifically allows passing on the right on a paved road with 2, or more, lanes (see 11-304(a)(2))
    - maxerickson 10y ago
      jstanley at the top of the thread is clearly talking about the same thing as my article, keeping right except when passing. You should only go into the outer lanes to overtake traffic, and then move back in once you've passed. It's not just the law, it's a good idea... That's not about passing on the right.
      - dsp1234 10y ago
        The outer lanes are the left and right lanes. Which implies that, given 3 lanes, someone is passing on the right. At a base level, given more than 2 lanes, there is a difference between "stay out of the left lane unless passing", and "stay out of the left and right lanes unless passing", as it gives drivers twice as many options for passing.
        maxerickson 10y ago
        Pretty sure that by inside lane they mean the main traffic lane. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/inside-lane http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/inside... (I made that assumption before noting the .uks in their profile...)
        jessaustin 10y ago
        I would have said that in USA the "outer lane" is the rightmost lane, since it's the one that forms the edge of the highway. Likewise, in UK it would be the leftmost lane. The inner lanes are the ones adjacent to the median in a divided highway. I think OP simply misspoke, because everyone knows one is supposed to pass using the inner lanes.
virgil_disgr4ce 10y ago
What I've never understood about this idea is that it suggests that speeding must not be illegal in that passing lane. But that's not true. So then how does a law for a passing lane work?
- mulmen 10y ago
  I'm not sure where you get the suggestion that there is no speed limit in the passing lane. We drive on the right so the safest place to pass is on the left where the driver is. If everyone stays right as much as possible and faster traffic (this does not imply speeding) can move left to pass then traffic flows smoothly. Where are you getting the impression that speeding is allowed anywhere?
  - nkurz 10y ago
    > Where are you getting the impression that speeding is allowed anywhere? One reason is that in many places in the US, the normal traffic speed exceeds the legal posted limit by 5-15 miles per hour. If the law requires a driver travelling at the legal speed limit to stay out of the "passing lane" so that other drivers can pass, this would imply that the law condones speeding, since only a driver moving faster than the legal speed limit can make use of that lane. If the law was not intended to encourage exceeding the speed limit, it likely would have been written as something like "any driver moving less the legal speed limit must avoid the passing lane". Another reason is that some US states make exceptions to the normal speed limit when passing another vehicle on a two lane road: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2014/10/10/can-i-speed-while-passing/ http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2014/10/10/can-i-speed-..., http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/traffic_talk_comments_should_t_1.html http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/traffic_talk_com.... While one could argue that it's not "speeding" if it's not illegal, it's not unreasonable to interpret such laws as "allowing speeding" to pass.
    - mulmen 10y ago
      > If the law requires a driver travelling at the legal speed limit to stay out of the "passing lane" so that other drivers can pass, this would imply that the law condones speeding, since only a driver moving faster than the legal speed limit can make use of that lane. That's not how it works. The law is "stay right except to pass". This is true regardless of speed. Speeding is still illegal in any lane. The "stay right" rule is about not obstructing the flow of traffic, it has nothing to do with the posted speed limit. e: To clarify many people drive below the speed limit, in this case it is possible to pass them in a lane to the left without exceeding the speed limit.

kiril-me 10y ago

In Europe fast traffic go left. If some one slow way it always overtaken on free lane.

geocar 10y ago

It depends on the state. Some states do not permit undertaking. Others do.

treigerm 10y ago

Here's a nice video that explains the concept quite well I think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oqfodY2Lz0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oqfodY2Lz0 (Title: Why you shouldn't drive slowly in the left lane)

aidos 10y ago
There's an interesting British thing where lots of people are militant about lane positioning to the point of recklessness. I know otherwise down to earth people who absolutely loss it when there's someone in the middle lane on a motorway. I have friends who will pull close behind the offending vehicle, flash their lights, beep their horn and yell - which is obviously far more dangerous than the original offence. This is in cases where there's a totally empty "fast" lane further to the right. Many drivers almost feel entitled to not have someone in front of them in the middle lane. I get the argument for staying over to the left (in the UK). I'm not convinced that it's 100% rational though. Picture a normal scenario with 3 lanes and on/off ramps coming in from the left. With light traffic, all vehicles can keep to the left, over taking can happen in the middle lane and there's space for vehicles joining via the on-ramp. Fine. With really heavy traffic, you normally end up with 3 lanes of traffic moving at increasing speed to the right and all the lanes are utilised. Everyone seems happy. Fine. What happens with the murky space in between? If you try to stack everyone in the left lane they need to keep making space for people joining from the ramps. Also, some people will be moving faster than those in the far left, so they're effectively overtaking, but then where do you draw the line where they have to pull back to the left again (only to move out to overtake in another minute)? You could say that the moment there's any space to the left you move into it, but you just end up with lots more lane changes - which, at some point, becomes more dangerous than everyone just staying in the same lane. There's a balance to strike between changing to satisfy the rule and staying the course to decrease the amount of changing. For different people that line is in different places and for a lot of people I know who grew up in the UK, if they place your behaviour on the wrong side of that (arbitrary) line, there will be hell to pay. As a once foreigner it's all quite interesting.
- stefs 10y ago
  observations from austria (remember we have the steering wheel on the right side ... so, the left). the law on the autobahn/multi-lane streets is: change to a lane on the left (a faster lane) only to overtake (except for special conditions, i.e. traffic jams/very slow moving). mostly south of vienna, the system is different though. due to the high amount of traffic from eastern neighboring states, with different rules and different speed limits (austrias autobahn speed limit is 130km/h, while in the east it's sometimes 120km/h, i'd guess), it's usually: * right lane (slowest): trucks and slow moving vehicles ~80-100km/h * middle lane: normal traffic, depending on weather ~110-120km/h (with sometimes up to 130-140km/h if traffic permits, usually not for long though) * left lane (fastest): traffic going faster (130km/h+) you choose the lane appropriate for your speed. overtaking strictly on the left. this is, strictly speaking, not legal. if the slower lane is free you have to change, even if you're going top speed. in the beginning i've been complaining about people not observing the local laws, but nowadays i have to admit that i think the eastern system works better.

nthcolumn 10y ago

Driving in the UK is sheer hell. Most people drive in the middle lane regardless of whether they are overtaking or not. Go to the continent and it is pure bliss by comparison. Brits even mistakenly call the outer lane the 'fast' lane. It is actually the serious offense of 'Driving Without Due Care And Attention' but UK transport police are worse than useless. On education - there is no test of motorway/highway skills for your driving license! Also, many UK people even deliberately obstruct other road users. The law states that you _can_ undertake. It is detailed in what is known as the Highway Code. Undertaking is allowed in a one-way system eg. motorway provided the vehicle to your right is not overtaking e.g. maintaining a constant speed sitting in the damn lane like they own it making everybody else do their driving. I'll go now before rant mode fully kicks in....

popey456963 10y ago
And yet the UK has the third lowest crash rate in the world compared with population and the second lowest crash compared per distance driven.[0] Also, your facts are wrong. You are required to practice on your highway skills and you will almost certainly go on a highway (if location permits) during your test. I'm almost happy we don't train our newer drivers on the motorway, honestly, I'm not sure I would trust them not to mess up even with an instructor joining them. We do have debates about whether to let newer drivers go on the motorway [1], but people bring up the point that they're normally incredibly busy and a single mistake could kill 5+ cars travelling at 70mph. Also, you say we can't call the outer lane the "fast" lane? It is fast when compared to the other lanes, but this doesn't mean we need to drive without care or attention! I think you don't understand that "fast" is a relative term and does not mean you can break the speed limit. A couple of other points: - You can't undertake normally, only in specific circumstances such as in queues or in separated traffic situations (like one-way traffic). You are NOT allowed to undertake on a motorway. - "Many UK people even deliberately obstruct other road users" has never happened to me in my life but, I've heard others talk about doing it to others when they're not being considerate to others (for example when two lanes go to one, and a car thinks they can speed down the fast lane to overtake everyone and just bully their way into the left lane). - "Pure bliss by comparison", really? Italy is notoriously bad at driving, Spain and other places also have similar problems with them. Generalising the entire continent to be perfect doesn't work. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-r... [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38464776 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38464776

NietTim 10y ago

But are there rules that disallow overtaking on the right?

cgriswald 10y ago
For most states, those rules generally don't apply when the passing is happening in a lane of travel. Instead, they refer to situations like using an exit-only lane to pass, trying to pass in a gap between parked cars, or passing on the shoulder.
knicholes 10y ago
In Utah, we can pass on the right as long as there are more than two lanes. If there are only two lanes, you are supposed to only pass on the left. As noted in other comments, this is state-based and I've never once seen it enforced.
techdmn 10y ago
Strangely more people seem to know about this than about only using the left lanes to pass. I have seen several people get worked up about being passed on the right, to which my response is "why were you driving on the left"? They don't realize that the slower vehicle chooses the overtaking lane - whichever lane they aren't occupying. In my opinion it's down to the signage: "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT". Nobody wants to think of themselves as slower. Should say "LEFT LANE FOR PASSING ONLY".

crispyambulance 10y ago

Looks like relatively normal behavior for a 7 lane road for either USA or Europe. Highways with THAT many lanes typically have exits on both the right and left side. People will typically be on whichever side their exit is going to be on.

ygra 10y ago
In Europe exits on the left of the motorway are quite rare (excluding countries that drive on the left).

btbuildem 10y ago

The law is the same in the US -- but, your comment is quite telling.